There's No There, There. Or is There? - Understanding Elemental Voids

by Jennifer Zahrt

You’re always drawn towards your weakest element

... says astrologer Steve Cozzi.1 This mantra can be found throughout modern astrological lore. But what if it’s the other way around? What if lacking an element isn’t a weakness, but a strength? In this article, I explore another way to understand what having an elemental “void” in a chart might mean.

The urgency to write about elemental voids comes from the current astrological weather, what could be called “The Fire Void of 2021.” With the periodic exception of the Moon’s quick movements through the zodiac, much of 2021 is marked by an absence of planets (Mercury through Pluto) located in fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius). Mars left Aries on January 6 and will not enter Leo until June 11. Barring the Sun’s transit through Aries, when Venus and Mercury also briefly visit that sign, the first half of 2021 is surprisingly fire-free. Many of the babies (and businesses) born during this time will have the Moon also in a non-fire sign, and thus a crop of “fire void” charts will appear. Rather than view this as a deficit, I would like to resuscitate the work of astrologer Shirley Lyons Meier and propose a helpful way to look at this type of chart emphasis.

I first came across Lyons Meier’s work as I volunteered to help bring Kepler College’s library out of storage in the Seattle area in 2016.2 After consecutive days of unpacking boxes and boxes of astrology books — this library is a genuine trove of astrological texts — the out-of-print title Elemental Voids leapt off the shelf and into a fellow volunteer’s hands.3 She happened to have an absence of planets in fire signs in her chart, and I personally do not have any planets placed in earth signs in mine. We squealed and dove into this tome to see what this astrological ancestor had to impart. By the end of the evening, we had gone from feeling dread about our “voids” — something we’d spent many a night bonding over prior to setting up the library — to feeling a renewed sense of empowerment.

First, some background: Lyons Meier practiced medicine as well as astrology. In her experience as a nurse and an astrologer, she was deeply invested in the Hippocratic concept of doing no harm. In our modern Western culture, talking about something in a chart in terms of lack and void tends to imply defect and deficiency. Convinced there must be something positive lurking around the void, she set about trying to figure out how to avoid causing harm when discussing this idea of something missing. She limited her investigation to planets only (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto), and omitted other chart factors such as the angles, nodes, or any Lots or Parts.4 A stream of patients and clients gave her many case studies to test her hypothesis.

Her astrology relies on a humanistic model popularized in the 1970s that takes reincarnation of the soul as a foundational principle. A person born with a “void” of planets placed in an element, so Lyons Meier says, has accomplished the lessons of that element in a prior life.5 She suggests that instead of seeing an absence, we should see the presence of an absence. Instead of being deficient (lacking!) in the lessons of that element, the native is a master. Rather than seeing “nothing” when planets are not placed in an element, we should see a hidden grand trine!

This inversion can seem confusing at first, but let’s try another approach. The figure on the left depicts an optical illusion: either a vase or two faces. Let’s say the chart’s planetary placements are the vase, and thus the vase is composed of the elements that the planets are placed in: earth, fire, air, for example. Then the space around the vase is composed of water. When we allow our brain to flip the image, then the two faces in the “water void” become a critical structural facet of the vase. In this way, the absence of elemental placement becomes a critical structural component of a chart.

When we first glance at a chart, our eyes scan the data and see planets in signs. These snag our attention. A planet placed in an element “snags” us in the lessons of that element. When we have an elemental void, we have no snags in that area. When viewed in this way, the absence (of snags) can be interpreted as a presence of mastery. I want to add two more words to Lyons Meier’s concept of mastery: effortlessness and reluctance. If someone has a hidden grand trine in an element, it indicates that they have an effortless and reluctant mastery of that element’s gifts.

We see emptiness elsewhere in astrology. It is universally common to have empty houses, for example. The planetary points (traditional or modern) can never be placed in each and every house. Given this, we would never suggest that an empty 5th house would render someone incapable of one day becoming a parent. We would use the logic of astrological techniques to find the ruler of that house cusp to unlock the story around parenthood for that person. The promise of an empty house is found elsewhere in the chart and links different topics together in a certain way. In a similar sense, the absence of planets placed in an element doesn’t mean the native is somehow bad at something. Lyons Meier discovered that it means they are really quite good at it. The issue is actually that they might not be consciously aware of just how good at it they are.

Grand Trines and Hidden Grand Trines

The easy flow indicated by a trine between two planets relies upon sharing a common element. Fire feeds fire, earth gathers earth, air fuels air, and water collects water. When a grand trine is present, a circuit of self-sufficiency exists in that area of the native’s life. Things work. They do not need outside help in the same way that squares and oppositions call forth relating to an other. Sometimes astrologers at conferences can be heard acknowledging that grand trines can be lazy, but you may never see this tidbit in print. The overarching theme is that there’s not a lot of conflict or tension in the areas of life linked by the grand trine. It indicates a self-sufficiency that’s not relational.

Like those with grand trines, Lyons Meier suggests that those with a hidden grand trine are naturally talented, and thus set apart, in a certain area of life. For example, if you are already skilled at trigonometry, your math teacher may allow you to sit out of class for that lesson. Meanwhile, the other kids in class have the lesson, and envy arises because you do not have to be in class. Even if you were to take part, if you already knew what was being taught, you’d be daydreaming and not engaged with class. Thus there’s a loner quality to possessing this talent. In this example, the preexisting mastery of trig is not overcompensating for a lack, it’s a tacit acknowledgement of skill. And it’s this very mastery that prevents you from fitting in. So, as with the self-sufficiency of a grand trine, a hidden grand trine expresses a similar quality of standing out or standing apart.

Reluctant mastery often indicates that the experience of the “void element” is not integrated into someone’s perception of self. They are focused on the vase half of the image, not the two faces that compose it. We focus so much on the planetary placements that it is difficult to appreciate what’s not there. Hidden grand trines teach us to consider all of the mastery that one has reluctantly and effortlessly achieved. Lyons Meier would suggest this mastery must have happened in a prior lifetime, but we can also see it elementally speaking in this lifetime. The chart owner works on their snags (planetary placements by element), and the absent element is just a given, simply something they have command over. No past lives needed.

Hidden Grand Trines through the Elements

Let’s begin with fire. Fire rises to the top and gets to the highest point. People with a hidden grand trine in fire are apt to express inspiration, enthusiasm, and faith. They inspire people to action by holding an unwavering faith in something and spreading that belief to others. Lyons Meier says they are “natural born leaders” who share freely, wanting nothing in return.6 They have a natural vitality; when threatened with sickness, they recharge and recover quickly. They exhibit a natural propensity for igniting the interest and attention of others — a natural leadership quality. One example is Ronald Reagan, who had a natural acting skill and leadership ability. Based on what we know of him historically, one might never expect Ronald Reagan to have a void in fire signs. (See chart.) His career was marked not only by acting, but by presidential leadership — two very strong fire qualities. Lyons Meier uses the keywords “shining beacon” for hidden grand trines in fire.7 Things tend to work out for these people. They have a strange lucky streak when it comes to landing on their feet. When you challenge any instance of pessimism and ask someone with a hidden grand trine in fire to reflect on their lives, they will realize how much they have overcome. One pitfall with having a hidden grand trine in fire is that these people can be too trusting, which could lead others to take advantage of them. They tend to give with a generosity in the same way that the Sun freely gives of its light.

Moving on to earth. Lyons Meier calls people with a hidden grand trine in earth “inspiring directors.”8 They exhibit organizational strength with ideas and determination. They manage large projects with finesse and have an innate understanding of how component parts work together. These individuals hardly think about money or savings, and somehow seem to have a fluid experience of financial support. They have a Midas touch. For example, when people with an earth void apply for finances for college, they typically get scholarships and not loans. They gravitate toward financial freedom as opposed to having to pay something back. When I’ve asked people with earth voids whether they have ever had any problems coming up with money when they needed it, they consistently answer that they've never really had problems. Somehow money happens.

People with no planetary placements in earth signs always seem to be moving. While this could be due to a lack of earth, consider that having command over material reality in fact frees them for itinerancy. They don’t need to experience what it feels like to stay in one place in order to understand how material reality works. The entire world is their playground because they understand that the earth will always be there under their feet. Having a hidden grand trine in earth comes with the trust that material reality will always perform. These are individuals who can shape reality. We can count Marc Edmund Jones and Dane Rudhyar as relevant “earth voids” who have shaped the reality of our astrological field.9 Given their path-breaking nature, people with hidden grand trines in earth may run into the problem of not “fitting in” to their social milieu.

Our next element, air, is invisible. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve become aware of air like never before. It transmits and spreads things, such as viruses as well as information, and it also binds us together. Reluctant air masters appear as community leaders, tactical experts, and oftentimes people who can keep their cool in crisis.

When a friend of mine (air void with major chart emphasis in earth) was in college, she single-handedly got approval for her mascot proposal, and then sewed a costume for it for her graduating class. The costume demonstrates her earth focus, but the overall effect created school spirit for the student body. When she got down on herself for having a “lack of air,” I reminded her of this story, and she reluctantly acknowledged her leadership role in creating this social cohesion. Consider also a soldier in the US Air Force who has a hidden grand trine in air (major chart emphasis in water and fire). The bulk of his work consisted of controlling planes in combat airspace using radio signals. At the height of his career he was decorated with a major military award for his … air command skills. It cannot get more literal than this. Finally, Lyons Meier points to Helen Keller as an example (chart) of astonishing mastery of communication. Despite, or because of, Keller’s lack of air in her chart, she is renowned for overcoming the limitations imposed upon her by her childhood illness.

Air voids are, as Lyons Meier calls them, a “magical cohesive force.”10 They exhibit visionary potential, just like a falcon can see into the far distance and make out what cannot be seen from the ground. They have a sixth sense, and they bring the unmanifest into awareness. Coupled with that capacity, however, is a potential for conditions such as color-blindness, the development of cataracts, or various degrees of blindness, which, like the blind seer Tiresias, would allow them to shed new light and speak new truths about what cannot be perceived otherwise.

Finally, we come to our last element. Water is the ultimate chameleon because it takes the shape of its container. It reflects its surroundings and is incredibly elusive. Lyons Meier calls water void individuals “a power to be reckoned with.”11 They express emotional self-containment.12 Their capacity to relate to and to fascinate people is immense. Consider Stephen Hawking (chart). If you’re talking about cosmology, at some point you must mention his work, even if only to note that you are not discussing it.

Helena P. Blavatsky is another major example (chart). In the modern history of occultism, Blavatsky cannot be avoided. Theosophy is pervasive and has had an impact on almost every facet of modern occultism, whether it was in alignment with or in defiance of it. She not only absorbed global religions and wisdom traditions together into her own branded vision, but she also saturated the world with publishing houses. A plethora of information seeped through the ethers in print across temporal and national boundaries — into Germany, the United States, India, the United Kingdom, and beyond. We are still dealing with the power of her body of work.

Fascination is another facet of individuals with hidden grand trines in water. Imagine the inescapable tug of viewing the Sun setting on a body of water, with the glittering light percolating off the ripples.13 These people captivate our attention. Sometimes this power can be used to control or manipulate others, or to create a shield preventing genuine intimacy. On the whole, however, water void individuals can also hold space for immense healing.

Singletons, Stelliums, and Other Chart Factors

The concept of a hidden grand trine is broken by the placement of a single planet in an element. Lyons Meier refers to reincarnation to suggest that the person is at an entry level of learning the lessons of that element. The more planets that are placed in an element, the more advanced the person’s mastery becomes, until they lose the need to have any planets placed there at all. Put another way, if a single placement is like someone in first grade, a stellium of (three or more) planets in a sign (and therefore element) would be like someone who has graduated to high school. So, someone with a Libra stellium is not naturally balanced, they’re learning balance!

At least two more critiques come into play with Lyons Meier’s approach: (1) whether or not it falls apart when other chart factors are considered; and (2) how it dovetails with traditional techniques, if at all. It is an open research project to discover whether or not “hidden grand trines” are negated by chart factors such as angles, nodes, or Lots in the missing element. As a fundamental phenomenon of astrology, points like the nodes, the Ascendant and Midheaven, and the Part of Fortune are structurally different than planets, which are entities with observable trajectories. A step beyond this would be to incorporate traditional essential dignities and accidental fortitudes to the planets, to see what effect that may have. However, traditional methods were not in the drinking water when Lyons Meier practiced astrology. She published Elemental Voids in 1983, right as the first copies of William Lilly’s Christian Astrology were being circulated around the Astrological Lodge in London, kicking off the traditional revival.14 (And incidentally, this was a year before the 1984 Transformers movie appeared, with its iconic tagline of “More than Meets the Eye”!)

One also has to consider the frequency of “void” charts. While they tend to be somewhat common, the slow orbit of Pluto gives a generational tinge to the occurrence of elemental voids. Anytime Pluto occupies an earth sign, we will not see earth voids for that entire generation, and when it enters an air sign, there will be no air voids, and so on. Another future research project could be to calculate any societal trends based on this cadence.

Some Conclusions

Let’s return to the concept that one is attracted to their weakest element. Now that we’ve reviewed the qualities of the four types of hidden grand trine, “weak” does not mean absent. When someone with an elemental void is surrounded by people who have that element heavily placed in their chart, just who is seeking whom? In light of the discussion presented here, and in my personal and astrological experience, I argue that it’s actually reversed. For example, if someone has a void of air placements, people with air placements cluster around them because it’s actually the air signs who need to learn the inherent, cohesive force that the “air void” person is expressing. They are attracted to the hidden grand trine in air because that person has mastered it. They’re coming to get their air needs met, even though that person doesn’t have any obvious air in their chart.

The hidden grand trine way of looking at voids is a way of integrating the entire chart, including the empty areas, to see a clearer picture of how elemental emphasis encodes expression. The utility of this approach tends to lie at the level of general behavioral description. I still use traditional techniques for forecasting. In my consultations, I rarely point out a hidden grand trine unless the client brings up “having a void” in a disparaging way. As professional astrologers who encounter clients, or even as astrology teachers encountering students, we are always tasked with doing no harm. Thus, if a client or student denigrates themselves for “not having” an element, I like to combat the negative perception of the concept of void and provide a positive spin. I break out Lyons Meier’s interpretations to help fashion a productive reframing of that person’s life experience. The realizations can be profound and life-altering.

During the Fire Void of 2021 (barring the Moon’s transits through fire signs), I’d like to recall a July day in 1776 — the fourth, to be exact — when a country was formed during a void of planetary placements in the fire element. I’d like to recall the spirit of opportunity and spiritual freedom that subtended this founding, however, as can often show up with the fire element, the Founding Fathers’ vision contained a blindingly narrow self-interest. Perhaps, the Fire Void of 2021 spells a time when we collectively address the burns inflicted upon groups excluded from the founding vision. More globally, the first half of 2021 offers up a chance to exhibit an inclusive, aware mastery of the creativity, vitality, and generosity of the fire element, stemming from a deep revaluation of what it means to be born “void” of fire.

Notes and References:
1. Steve Cozzi, Planets in Locality (Llewellyn, 1988), p. 6.
2. The Kepler College library is located at 4630 200th Street SW, Ste H, Lynnwood, WA 98036. Visit http://www.kepler.edu for opening hours.
3. Shirley Lyons Meier, Elemental Voids: More than Meets the Eye (pub. 1983).
4. Because we are only concerned with planetary placement, we do not need timed charts for this technique unless the Moon is about to switch signs. Lyons Meier also focused solely on planets and not angles or other derived points because it creates confusion, not clarity (Lyons Meier, Elemental Voids, p. 168).
5. Lyons Meier, Elemental Voids, p. 15.
6. Ibid., pp. 32–33.
7. Ibid., p. 39.
8. Ibid., p. 71.
9. Ibid., p. 64.
10. Ibid., p. 113.
11. Ibid., p. 158.
12. Ibid., p. 144.
13. See Ilaria Cristofaro, “Harmony and a Phenomenology of Liquid Skies,” in Nicholas Campion, ed., The Harmony Debates (Sophia Centre Press, 2020), pp. 269–288.
14. For more about this moment in astrological history, see my interview with Nick Campion, “Through a Glass Darkly,” in The Mountain Astrologer, issue 214, Dec. 2019/Jan. 2021, p. 40.

Chart Data and Source:
Ronald Reagan, February 6, 1911; 3:43 a.m. CST; Tampico, IL, USA (41°N38^, 89°W47^); DD: Various times are given (here we use the time rectified by Reagan's personal astrologer Joan Quigley), none verified; however, the date and location are accurate, and the lack of a precise birth time does not affect the elemental planetary distribution in the chart. Accessed via Astrodatabank

Images:
Road: Image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay
Vase: Art by Morgan Singer
Canvas: Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

First published in: The Mountain Astrologer, Feb/Mar 2021.

Author:
Jenn Zahrt, PhD, is an author, publisher, artist, poet, and teacher of cultural astronomy and astrology, who has been practicing astrology since 1998. As a postdoctoral research fellow at the Sophia Centre (UWTSD), she researches astrology throughout human culture, with an emphasis on early 20th-century Germany. Zahrt specializes in traditional and modern techniques and locational astrology. She has taught and lectured domestically and in Canada, the UK, and Germany. She currently resides in Olympia, Washington. Her poetry, translations, and edited volumes are available at http://www.revelore.press

© 2019/2021 - Jennifer Zahrt

All articles at a glance